Farewell to a Changing Land
by Keijo6
Summary: An eerie change is happening in a lush, faraway region. The worsening climate and growing competition slowly force three sharpteeth to choose between their long-standing home and a new life in the surrounding Mysterious Beyond. The choice is particularly hard for one of them but an unfortunate accident forces him to accept this monumental decision.


**Farewell to a Changing Land**

Endless drops of heavy rain filled the sky of a verdant green land, as they had done for so many days already. It wasn't too long ago when the lush lowlands were still paradise-like, with enough green food for every leaf eater present… and to those who fed on them in turn. Forested foothills covered the area as far as eye could see, dotted with many narrow rivers opened between a high mountain range and a drier area further to the east. It was called the Green Sanctuary by many of its inhabitants, even if some called it differently. Sprinter, as a rather small sail-backed sharptooth was called, knew it by another name, however. To the sharpteeth, it was known as the Woodlands of Plenty.

Sprinter looked up to the sky with a distinct fear. The green sail-backed sharptooth hoped to see the sky finally end its seemingly unending weeping and to see the sunlight finally fight its way through the endless shroud of gray. However, the sharptooth soon gave up his observations and resumed his journey through the treacherous grass.

 _I hope they're safe… This gets just worse by the minute. If it's not going to end soon, I don't even know what we can do…_

Sprinter felt concern fill his thoughts as he reflected his and his mate's situation. They were living on a still-dry part of the land but that too would likely turn into marsh if the rain didn't stop soon. The newborn ponds were growing larger by the day and the land around them ever more unstable and treacherous. Hunting was steadily becoming more complicated.

Thankfully, the prey wasn't dwindling just yet. According to the tales his parents had relayed on to him, the Green Sanctuary had been a refuge for many leafeaters for years and they weren't going to abandon it easily. However, every herd needed a certain amount of food and shelter to survive and this land was slowly turning into a bog. Things didn't look too good for them, either.

Sprinter approached his nest slowly in order to make his arrival as peaceful as he could. His mate, Swifttail, was waiting for him with the couple's young child. The female sharptooth had also scouted their territory in case of approaching threats or quick deteriorations in the environment.

"It took longer for you than usual, Sprinter. Was there any new developments?" Swifttail's voice was worried as the ever-worsening weather darkened her own thoughts. The two mates had agreed to check their territory every two days and those trips had lately become ever more grim. Neither of the two expected good news but they still had to know the recent developments.

"The land to the west is growing too treacherous for even being able to support us. One of my legs sank into it three times and rest of the time I had to wade in the water. I fear we cannot claim those parts as our territory anymore." Sprinter wished he had something else to say but it couldn't be helped. He wished to help his family survive and lying wasn't a way to achieve that goal. Swifttail looked at the green male in disappointment as she listened to his story.

"We're lucky that some areas are still somewhat firm but I saw a small group of spiketails leaving for the Drylands. Not that they matter that much but…" Her implication was clear. If some herds found the Woodlands of Plenty growing uninhabitable, other groups could follow soon. Even worse, the changing climate could lure in new competitors for the sharpteeth living in the forest. In that case, staying in this land could become even more dangerous and difficult. Yet, embarking on a search for new home was something that he really didn't want to do at this point.

Sprinter turned his gaze momentarily to his right. The sight of his son, Stealth, greeted his eyes. The young sharptooth's eyes communicated concern and fear of the coming. He was too far away to hear his parents' words but he could see that the news weren't exactly encouraging. Sprinter, too, feared the prospect of being forced to leave their territory but the signs weren't looking too good. He sighed as he replied to his mate's words.

"And the other herds? How are they coping?" Sprinter saw a bit of relief in his mate's eyes as she answered. As long as there remained food available, staying was possible.

"Reasonably well. The spiketails had arrived only a few months ago so they left when the first difficulties appeared. It's a shame though. Hopefully the other herds won't follow their example." The female's voice carried a certain level of hope even if she knew it would likely be misplaced. She, too, dreaded the possibility of having to leave with Stealth who, despite his rather understanding personality, was still a child for whom the possible life in the Drylands would take an enormous toll.

"This skywater isn't going to stop at all, is it mom?" The two sail-necked sharpteeth turned to look at Stealth who had approached the them silently. The red youngling sat on a large rock to his parents' right and looked at them pleadingly.

"Don't say that, Stealth. There have been many skywaters before and they've all ended at some point. This isn't going to be any different." Swifttail tried to sound as reassuring as she could but Stealth didn't look convinced. He answered in a sarcastic voice that upset his mother slightly.

"It just is. The previous skywaters didn't last for this long. This seems pretty different."

Sprinter looked at his son in an understanding fashion. It was clear that this situation was getting on everyone's nerves but it was even worse for a child who had lived in this land all his life. It wasn't easy to see the playgrounds and memories of his childhood turn into a watery, sinking wasteland. The older sharptooth's voice was warm as he addressed his son.

"There's no need to expect the worst yet, Stealth. It's true that the skywater has to stop at some point but we cannot say when. We just have to hope it will be soon." A flash of lightning illuminated the small glade, it's thundering voice being a common companion to the dinosaurs living in the previously paradise-like land. Even Stealth wasn't alerted in the slightest and he replied to his father in a neutral voice as the rumbling of thunder slowly faded away.

"But won't we have drowned by then? I just wish things could return back to what they once were…" Stealth's sentiment was one shared by all of three sharpteeth. Even the two adults could feel deep concern and fear for the fate of their territory. Even if they were born in another land, they had still learned to love the Woodlands of Plenty as their only home.

"They could, eventually. But that's not an excuse to skip your training in the meanwhile…" Each sharptooth had to learn the basics of hunting as a child and Stealth wasn't an exception. True to his name, the young sharptooth already excelled in hiding and moving unseen. That was a good attribute for his independent future. The Sail-Backed Sharpteeth were lone hunters and the element of surprise was essential for a successful conclusion for the hunt.

"I haven't done that. I've already caught many ground crawlers and scaly creepers. I've brought some to you, too." Stealth's voice was absentminded as he was still contemplating the change around him. He was quite proud to have been able to complete his lessons with flying colors but despite that, he felt somewhat melancholic. Whether it was because of the weather or some other things, he couldn't say.

"That's good progress but you have to learn other skills too. Maybe not anytime soon but eventually you'll grow and then you have to widen your diet." Swifttail's voice was slightly forced doe to her own internal struggles but her words still carried the message. Stealth was doing very well considering his age but the quicker he learned to hunt larger prey, the better. The younger sharptooth knew this of course but he didn't feel like embarking on a hunt right now.

"Awww… right now? But it's already getting late and daddy just said the soil is getting dangerous to walk on."

"This part of the land is still safe to hunt on and you have to be prepared to search for food at any time of the day." Sprinter answered to his son who took a deep breath at resignation. Apparently he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"There are many fish in the rivers and their numbers will only grow as the waters claim more area. Fishing is the next thing you have to learn, especially in times like these." Swifttail continued on her mate's words and Stealth looked at his parents with a bored look on his face but he answered quickly.

"I don't want to learn to catch fish. They taste terrible." His tone underlined the message but the way he said them told his parents that he understood the situation. Sprinter was the first one to answer.

"Still, that skill may save your life one day. Come, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get to sleep." Stealth took a deep breath as he rose from the rock he had been sitting on. His father's words gave him some confidence that the lesson wouldn't take all day.

Sprinter moved his gaze to the direction of the nearest river and started walking towards it. Steady trickles of water flowed from the canopy of the streams as the three sharpteeth disappeared into the darkening woods.

Despite the pleads of the forest's denizens, the weather didn't ease up at all. Day after the day, the unending rain beat the trees that were slowly rotting and dying and sinking into the ever-widening rivers and bogs that were spreading over areas that had once been dry land. New small, flying beings were moving to the trees and new kinds of fish were dotting the rivers. Even worse yet, a slight but permanent fog was settling over the land, slowly but surely tying the woodland into its chilly embrace.

Sprinter woke up shuddering heavily. The air was growing moist and increasingly cold and the sharptooth found it more taxing to hunt by the day. He raised his head up, seeing the same sight that had greeted his eyes for so many past mornings already. His mate was lying beside him, likely continuing her sleep for another hour as usual. Stealth was nowhere to be seen, however. That thing didn't worry the sharptooth, though, as he was a slight sleeper.

 _I wonder what he's up to… I should probably check up on him. These places aren't as safe as they used to be._

Sprinter rose up slowly, taking his time to stretch each of his limbs from the lingering sleep. After he found himself satisfyingly awoken, he begun to head left from his nest as those were the places Stealth was most keen on exploring. Sprinter wasn't too worried but his pace was still rather quick. He wanted to be sure that this morning wouldn't be worse than the others. Lately he had been willing to tell his son to spend mornings on home but he was a sharptooth and it was important for his kind to get as independent as they could already in the childhood.

Sprinter could feel the chill creep into his whole body as a gust of wind blew towards him from the misty thicket. It was as if a cold grip was strangling his whole body but he didn't complain about it anymore. The change in the wind had been gradual as it had been on every aspect of the beloved forest. It didn't make things any easier though. The coldness combined with the spreading of the bogged areas was making it harder to get by.

The thickening fog clouded his vision but he tried to listen for his son's whereabouts. Most of the familiar sounds of insects and other dinosaurs were replaced by ominous screeching of the new arrivals, voices that made additional shudders run down his spine. However, after a moment he heard splashing of water that could be heard from the nearest rivers.

Sprinter quickly run towards the voice as it was impossible to mistake its source. After a short while, a large river greeted his eyes, its waters slowly disappearing into the mists. Shortly after this spot, the waters would turn towards the south and start their descend into the wide Lowlands and turn into raging streams. However, his eyes caught only one detail of the haunting sight: Stealth was jumping on a small set of stones near the shore close to Sprinter. The older sharptooth quickly called to his son.

"Stealth! Come back from there! We don't know what kind of creatures live in that river anymore!"

Stealth turned to look at his father with a somewhat bored expression. This wasn't the first time he had spoken his concerns about his son's adventures but as of yet, Stealth had never seen any true reason for worry. The land was changing, yes, but he was a sharptooth. No one would dare to approach him if they could avoid it and he was far too careful to fall victim to the natural hazards around him. It was time to show his father that he was worrying for nothing. The young sharptooth jumped on a rock near the shore and called to his father who was slowly descending down the cliff.

"It's alright, dad! I can keep my balance and the fish are harmless! You're worrying for nothing as usual!"

Sprinter frowned heavily at his son's antics. Had the land been what it once was, he would have agreed but there was one thing Stealth couldn't fathom just yet. He might have seen the change in the land but he had never seen creatures from other lands. He was intelligent enough to avoid other sharpteeth or the leafeaters but he was no way prepared against creatures that were unknown to him. He answered to Stealth who was following the rocks deeper into the river.

"That's possible but it's important to avoid unnecessary risks! There are still many dangers for us out there and we cannot know if some of them can find their way here! I've seen them… I know you can handle yourself here but believe me, there are far worse creatures dotting the land!"

Stealth looked at his father in disappointment but he stopped his jumping and continued to think about the other sharptooth's words. He respected his parents but he couldn't contemplate the dangers Sprinter was speaking about. For him, the change was gradual. He had never seen those dangers himself so he wasn't ready to limit his journeys because of them. He turned to face the slowly quickening waters that were being sucked into the streams not far from his location. He had seen them many times so perhaps it would be time to explore further upstream?

"We've only seen some flying ground fuzzies and new fish. How dangerous could those be?" With those words, Stealth begun to move on a shallow part of the river towards the mists. Sprinter felt more anger than anything else at this point as he couldn't understand why his son didn't listen. He was just about to call to him once more when another thing caught his attention. A large, branch-looking object was floating on the river but it surely wasn't a branch. It was floating against the stream and right towards Stealth. He felt his heart freeze as he realized what it was. He let out a panicked scream which stopped his son immediately.

"Stealth! Get back, immediately! It's a bellydragger!" The term meant little to the young sharptooth but he could immediately hear that this time his father knew something was wrong. He begun to immediately scan the waters around him. At first, he could only see some small branches and leaves floating on the surface but soon his eyes locked on a large object near him. The smaller carnivore saw that this branch-like thing had eyes that were fixated on him. With a sickening realization, the magnitude of his mistake slowly begun to dawn on the red sharptooth. Stealth let out a fearful scream and started to sprint towards the shore where his father was standing.

Stealth's eyes were fixated at the rocks that could be seen sticking out from the dark depths. Even in his panicked state, he knew that should he fall to the water even once, his fate would be sealed. However, he soon turned to look behind him, seeing a sight that was from any creature's worst nightmares. The bellydragger was just behind him, its maw quickly turning into a row of sharp teeth, ready to close down on their hapless victim. Stealth yelped briefly before he jumped forward, barely escaping the bellydragger's closing jaws.

Sprinter looked at the scene in utter horror. His son had managed to escape the initial encounter but now he was in the deep water, making him an easy meal for the aquatic carnivore. Without further hesitation, Sprinter jumped to the water, determined to save Stealth from this most terrifying of deaths. The younger sharptooth struggled to regain his composure while the bellydragger approached him swiftly, undistracted by its earlier failure.

Stealth could see his father's approaching and he couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved by his intervention. There was no way he could have escaped the beast himself and even now, things looked dire. The smaller carnivore tried to swim towards the shore but his tiny arms hindered his efforts. The bellydragger, however, approached with terrifying pace.

Sprinter swam in desperation, knowing it was a question of mere seconds if he wished to save his only child from this untimely death. His legs barely touched the bed of the river, just enough to give him enough composure to fight the bellydragger if it came to that. The swimming carnivore approached Stealth every second, leaving the young sharptooth to try to swim forward in desperation. He had closed his eyes, ready to meet the agony of his legs being ripped from his body or his entire body being crushed in a heartbeat. He was ready for the sudden end in his panicked mind but it never came. He slowly opened his eyes and felt a rush of relief and fear that were caused the sight he saw.

His father was standing above the bellydragger, most likely as a result of a kick to dissuade him from his son. For now, Stealth was safe but the bellydragger turned its attention to Sprinter. It wasn't about to leave without a meal and even if the older sharptooth was a more troublesome meal, it was also a larger one.

Sprinter tried to land the momentarily fallen bellydragger the final strike but the aquatic carnivore regained its stance quickly. The two-footer managed to inflict a small wound to his green opponent's tail but he didn't manage to deliver a serious blow. The sharptooth started to slowly back down towards the shore, knowing his chances would be highly diminished should the battle continue in water.

Stealth looked on the scene with deep fear. From the point he was standing on, it looked like two faraway silhouettes were waging a faraway battle in the mists, even his father was almost unrecognizable through the terrifying fog. Yet, the young sharptooth knew that the fight was anybody's to win. He wasn't about to look powerless in case if the bellydragger would happen to gain the upper hand. Stealth silently turned around and sprinted towards his nest, desperately hoping he would be back in time.

Sprinter panted heavily by the time he reached the shore. The bellydragger was pressing unabatingly on him, forcing him to use all his strength in order to defend himself. However, the defensive fight in the river had taken its toll. The sharptooth knew he wouldn't be able to continue the fight for long. However, Sprinter felt at least some vindication knowing that that Stealth was safe. However, a voice then greeted his ears, one he had expected to not hear again.

"Sprinter! Hold on just a moment longer!" His mate's voice brought him great relief in his resigned state. He didn't have the time to look at her but he could hear her footsteps approaching him quickly. The bellydragger continued its assault, determined to not let its meal survive this encounter. Yet, Sprinter took a highly defensive stance, wanting to survive until the help came. The endless dodging seemed to turn into an eternity as the seconds went by. Yet, eventually he could hear his mate arriving by his side.

Swifttail charged at the preoccupied bellydragger with violent force, dislodging it's hold on Sprinter and sinking her claws into the creature's eyes. The green beast let out a terrifying screech before it started to twitch heavily. The two sharpteeth moved further away from the bellydragger before it slid away into the waters, its eyes ruined or at least damaged severely. It would never hunt again, at least not without help.

Sprinter stood still for a moment, panting heavily before he fell into a sitting position. He spoke to his mate in a tired but relieved voice.

"Thank you… I thought I was done for. That bellydragger almost got me." He finally turned to look at his mate and to his surprise, her expression was stoic and almost demeaning.

"There shouldn't be any bellydraggers here. I thought we saw the last of them in the Land of the Rushes." Her implications were clear: the two sharpteeth had left their previous home because of the deadly danger and competition the swimming carnivores had caused them. The fact that they had reached this place too caused extreme fear to the two dinosaurs. Sprinter looked at his mate in deep concern.

"Apparently we didn't... Swifttail, this land is no longer what it was. For the sake of Stealth and ourselves, we cannot stay here any longer." His words hit her hard even if she already knew he was right. Bellydraggers were one of the few creatures that could kill an adult sail-backed sharptooth and the fact they were arriving to the Woodlands of Plenty meant that the time of the three sharpteeth here was up. From now on, they would have to compete against them for food as well as fear becoming the beasts' victims themselves. Even if departure was a highly risky endeavor, staying here would be a likely suicide. Swifttail answered in a neutral voice.

"Why did it have to come to this again... Stealth, come here!" The young sharptooth emerged from among the trees slowly and was clearly ashamed of his part in causing this incident. He tried his best not to look his parents in the eyes.

"Yes, mom?" His voice was disturbed and silent and Swifttail didn't know whether to be angry at her son or not. This fight had been his fault but how could he have known about the bellydragger?

 _I guess he understands the situation. There's no reason to make matters worse._

"Stealth, I know you don't want to do this but we have to leave. It's no longer safe for us here. Staying here would cause us all to be in constant danger and besides, more and more of the leaf-eaters are leaving." Swifttail looked at her son's face which, surprisingly, was relatively understanding. He had seen the fight with the bellydragger: he could now understand his parents' reasoning even if it brought him great sorrow. He then listened to his father's words who was the next one to speak.

"I'm sorry it comes to this but… we have survived in the lands outside our forest. I'm not going to lie, the first days are going to be difficult but we'll make it. We'll go after some leaf-eater herd that's going to leave soon. Most likely tomorrow…" A tear flowed from Sprinter's right eye as he spoke, a testament to the bond that had been formed between the sharpteeth and their territory. Stealth looked at the older sharpteeth and spoke with a terrified voice.

"We can't leave! This is our home! Not some barren wasteland out there! We… we cannot go." Stealth's eyes were looking like they would begin to form tears soon and Sprinter couldn't but help to feel sympathy for him.

"We cannot stay either. Stealth… you saw what happened with the bellydragger. If it weren't for your mother, I'd most likely be dead by now. One day we wouldn't perhaps be so lucky. You have to understand: it's either us or this place." Sprinter looked in sadness as he looked Steath's calm composure slowly break down. He begun to sob heavily as he answered.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you. I'm truly sorry…" Stealth found nothing more to say in his conflicted state. He really wanted to rebel and do his all to stay but he couldn't bring himself to form those sentiments into sentences. He had already caused enough trouble: he didn't want to upset his parents even further with futile complaining. Sprinter decided to end his self-bashing thoughts and spoke in a comforting voice.

"You should be. But the most important thing is that you now understand that there's always potential for unknown dangers. This lesson might save your life later on, if you just decide to learn from it." Sprinter looked as Stealth took a more composed expression, trying to signal that he had understood his father's words.

"I will. I promise I'm not going to make the same mistake twice." The young sharptooth's voice was trembling but there was no doubt of its sincerity. In the long term, today's events could have been of some use, after all.

Swifttail looked at her son in relief, happy to see that he was slowly calming down. She was about to speak when a distant, echoing voice caught her attention. They sounded like footsteps of numerous dinosaurs together, most likely a herd. If a large herd was leaving the land, that knowledge would perhaps be of use to the sharpteeth.

"Can you hear that? There are loud footsteps coming from our left." Her question was more of a statement but it received Sprinter's attention immediately.

"Indeed… they sound like longnecks. We'd better take a look where they're going. Maybe we found our herd already…"

After a short jog, the three sharpteeth started to move more warily. The footsteps were much louder now and the creatures causing them were close. Suddenly, vague shades of grey started to move among the trees. The predators immediately stopped to observe the silent march of the longnecks. After a moment, Swifttail whispered.

"They're heading for the Drylands. I wonder if the bellydraggers surprised one of them too." Her voice was silent but it held a certain level of compassion towards the longnecks for the possible accident. Whatever had prompted the longnecks' departure, it was timely for the three sharpteeth too.

"Maybe… Anyway, it will be hard to feed such a herd outside these woods. It would be a miracle if they survived without any casualties through their journey." Sprinter's voice was cold and calculating and a slight smile crept up to his face. Any leafeater would have found it terrifying and disgusting but Swifttail didn't even consider such a possibility. Her mate's intention was clear to her.

"We won't get any better opportunity to leave. Stealth… we'll go after them. They're our best bet to feed ourselves before we can set down again." She tried to sound as calm as possible in order to minimize Stealth's adversity for the idea. The younger sharptooth gritted his jaws together when he answered. His thoughts were a flux of conflicting emotions: on one hand he wanted nothing more than to stay his home but he also knew the gravity of the situation.

"I… yes, mom." Those were the only words Stealth could form as he sniffed heavily. Swifttail looked at her son in an understanding way and said something she knew would cheer the younger dinosaur up at least a little bit.

"Longnecks are slow and their footsteps are hard to miss. We can use this day to rest and… to prepare for the departure." Swifttail's own voice was melancholic as she spoke. She didn't want to leave any more than the others did but she had little choice. Stealth turned to look at his mother in surprise even though the overall emptiness and uncertainty still reigned in his mind.

"A day's better than nothing I guess. Thanks, mom." The young sharptooth tried to sound grateful but it was difficult even with after mom's compromise. Sprinter then spoke in a soft voice, aiming for further acceptance of the situation.

"Maybe we can return here some day. But still, we have a long day ahead tomorrow. Try to be ready by then, Stealth." His words received a lukewarm nod and the three sharpteeth headed back towards their nest.

The next morning dawned in a similar fashion as all the mornings had in the last weeks. The obsidian hue hung over the thick forest and everywhere streams of water flowed towards the growing rivers. Even worse still, a chilling wind howled between the trees, one more testament to the fact that this was no longer the warm, plentiful refuge it used to be.

The overwhelming coldness was the first thing that greeted Stealth when he awoke from his troubled sleep. The sweet, happy sleep stories turned into the sad sight of his home. In a few seconds, the weight of this day's events fell down upon him. He begun to eye his surroundings, seeing the sleeping forms of his parents and the so-familiar sight of the familiar glade that had always been home.

Every stone, every plant and hill held many memories to him, either in the forms of his past games or lessons or simply as places he used to explore. The caves in the depths of the woods, the quick rapids in the rivers and the looming mountains marking the border of the woodlands. The whole situation felt surreal to the young sharptooth. He would most likely never again see the places that had always been dear to him and never again would he wake up in his own nest. A thought after a thought seemed to flow into his mind after another, causing large tears form in the young sharptooth's eyes. The knowledge of the finality of the situation was especially hard to bear.

Stealth thought he had reconciled with the fact already but now that the hour of departure had come, he felt numb. The red dinosaur didn't care if his parents heard his sobbing, even if signs of softness were discouraged by his kind. In fact, Stealth felt thankful when he heard his parents stirring from their sleep next to him. Every minute he would have had to spend contemplating his situation would have made matters worse. It was time to go.

Sprinter felt a rush of relief flowing through him as he looked at the edge of the forest. Before him opened a view of low grass, trees and beyond them an expanse of dry plains. This was the border between the Woodlands of Plenty and the Drylands. The sharpteeth had begun to call it by a more fitting name: the Land of Mists. None of them knew that many other herds thought of the same name, even if it fit the land well. The rain was already growing weaker but the damage had already been done. The land, and his family's life, was irrevocably changed now.

It wasn't the first time. He and his mate had both searched for a safe home for years and this had been the second time they had been forced to leave. At this point, however, it didn't feel as bad anymore. Few sharpteeth found a permanent home and besides, there were other things that mattered more to him. Family, safety and lack of tragedies were more important to him than any specific location. He wasn't happy to leave but it wasn't hard for him to simply see it as a necessity, as a thing that was meant to happen. His observations were disturbed by a remark from Swifttail.

"At least the Drylands haven't changed. Still the same, dry expanse as before. At least it seems like the longnecks haven't made it too far. We should catch up on them before evening." The large footprints of the longnecks were clearly in sight even if they were slowly vanishing into the wet soil.

"It just feels good to be able to finally leave that misty maze. It's been a while since we even last saw the Bright Circle. I didn't even know that I missed it." The amount of relief in Sprinter's voice surprised the sharptooth himself. He hadn't even known the toll the atmosphere had taken on him. For the first time in weeks, he didn't have to fear for his home or for his family's safety. From now on, it would be harder to find food but on the other hand, there would be no natural enemies for the sharpteeth here.

"Indeed. Stealth, be prepared for a long trek. Endurance will be another important thing you have to learn. Worrying about things you can't change isn't a way to improve it." Swifttail's cheeky smile improved Stealth's spirits somewhat. He was still broken by the loss of his home but the sight of the Bright Circle and the distinct sense of adventure started to slowly fill his mind. The more he thought about it, the readier he felt to take this step. It didn't alleviate his anxiety at all but he had always known that he wouldn't be able to stay in one place all his life.

"I'll… try to remember. Do you know where we're going?" Stealth's voice was shaking but it still communicated some hope for the coming. Swifttail was surprised to hear the question but it only improved her spirits.

"Not really. But we'll see soon enough." Stealth nodded silently at the answer. He didn't have the least of ideas what kind of land he was going to but at least it couldn't be worse than his old home. He took one last look at the Woodlands of Plenty, or the Land of Mists, and then turned his back on his home for the last time.

* * *

 **This is my entry for the Gang of Five March fanfiction prompt challenge. The prompt itself was a simple one and it was rather easy to come up with this idea. Yet, it was quite challenging to try to make this plot work smoothly but I think I managed to solve most of the problems I had. In any case, I hope you find this story enjoyable and I'd appreciate any feedback you have!**


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